How to make your Engagement Session Special, Personal + Intimate - Oahu, Hawaii Engagement Photographer
Being engaged is such a magical time - you are preparing the biggest event of your life to mark the start of a new chapter, the biggest adventure with your babe.
Of course, this needs to be celebrated with an engagement session! Whether you want to decorate the halls of your home and your wedding reception with professional portraits of the two of you, for your "Save the Date" cards, your wedding website, to glam up your Instagram, oh the possibilities!
As an engagement photographer in Oahu, Hawaii, I know of countless beautiful locations to choose from for the classic Engagement Portraits we all know and love.
But what if you want to do something a bit different than everyone else? Put your own spin on engagement with these fun Ideas!
1. Recreate your first date!
Clare and Wallace reuniting at Dram & Draught, the Bar at which they had first met, for their engagement Session
Yes, you heard that right! Instead of going to a random place to take your engagement photos, go to where it all began. Did you guys meet in a hip Bar like one of my #JDPCouple Claire and Wallace? Their love for Whiskey brought sparked their interest and for their first date, they had met at a bourbon bar. So for their engagement, they went back to that exact bar and we shot their engagement session in the exact barstools were they had their first conversation (and kiss!) and then walked around and for more portraits in the beautiful surroundings!
The pair got supper giddy being back in the space. They had been back plenty of times before, but this time, it was different. Not just because they were engaged, but because they knew they were on the path to become Husband and Wife, and it was marked by the milestone of getting their engagement photos done!
Pro Tip: If your first date was at a beach, bring a basket and some snacks and let’s have a picnic! Don’t forget a bottle of champagne we can pop! It wasn’t technically your first date but an amazing experience that in your relationship at a certain spot? Let’s still go back there! If it matters to you, it matters to your story!
2. An In-Home Lifestyle Session
James + Brittany having fun for their In-Home Session with their cats
Have you ever thought of getting cozy, snuggling up and showing off your cute little home? Let's face it - there are few places where you are more comfortable than in your own space and all those hours you spent in Target buying cute home accents to perfect your nest shouldn't go to waste right?
Both Brittany + James and Katrina + Eric invited me into their home for a cozy session. Brittany's cats needed to be a part of it, of course, making it even more personal. I loved how raw these were, how intimate. We weren't concerned about pedestrians or bystanders, and sometimes I think they even almost forgot I was there, completely losing themselves in each other, hugging and kissing as they would on a normal Sunday afternoon.
Pro Tip: Plan an activity together in your home that you like to do together for extra fun! For example, you could cook or bake together, play video games or have a pillow fight!
The outcome of both of these Ideas are portraits that scream YOU. They are full of love, intimacy, and personality. Not only do they celebrate your engagement, but they tell a story. The story of you and your boo. They invite people into your love story so they can try to feel your love as deeply as you do. So they don't just wanna celebrate your wedding, they want to celebrate you as a couple, your romance and your life.
